IP Library Granted Patent US 11,894,783
Granted Patent B2
US 11,894,783 · App. 17/232,262 · Granted Feb 6, 2024

Semiconductor device

Inventor: Shinji Sakai (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
H02M7/537H02M1/08H02M1/088H03K17/567
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,894,783
App. No.
17/232,262
Granted
Feb 6, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A semiconductor device includes: first and second power transistors connected in parallel with each other and having different saturated currents; and a gate driver driving the first and second power transistors with individual gate voltages, respectively, the gate driver includes a drive circuit receiving an input signal and outputting a drive signal, a first amplifier amplifying the drive signal in accordance with first power voltage and supplying the amplified drive signal to a gate of the first power transistor, and a second amplifier amplifying the drive signal in accordance with second power voltage different from the first power voltage and supplying the amplified drive signal to a gate of the second power transistor.

Claims (26)

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

first and second power transistors connected in parallel with each other and having different saturated currents; and

a gate driver driving the first and second power transistors with individual gate voltages, respectively,

the gate driver includes

a drive circuit receiving an input signal and outputting a drive signal,

a first amplifier amplifying the drive signal in accordance with first power voltage to supply a first amplified drive signal to a gate of the first power transistor, and

a second amplifier amplifying the drive signal in accordance with second power voltage different from the first power voltage to supply a second amplified drive signal to a gate of the second power transistor.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein a saturated current of the first power transistor is smaller than a saturated current of the second power transistor, and

the second power voltage is lower than the first power voltage.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second power voltages are supplied from individual external power sources to the first and second amplifiers, respectively.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the first power voltage is supplied from an external power source to the first amplifier,

the second power voltage is lower than the first power voltage,

the gate driver further includes a power circuit generating the second power voltage from the first power voltage and supplying the generated second power voltage to the second amplifier.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein a half-bridge is constituted by the first and second power transistors and the gate driver.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 5 , wherein a three-phase inverter is constituted by three of the half-bridges.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the first power transistor is a SiC MOSFET.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein

the drive signal is output by the drive circuit and received by the first amplifier and the second amplifier.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein

the drive signal output by the drive circuit is bifurcated into two signals that are the same and that are respectively input to the first amplifier and the second amplifier.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein

the drive circuit includes an input circuit receiving the input signal, and a level shift circuit level-shifting an output signal of the input circuit to generate the drive signal.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein

the first power voltage is supplied from a first external power source to the first amplifier and to the drive circuit, and

the second power voltage is supplied from a second external power source to the second amplifier.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 11 , wherein the second power voltage is lower than the first power voltage.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 16, 2021
From: SAKAI, SHINJI
To: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 057014/0730 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2020-167185 · Oct 1, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220109380A1 · Apr 7, 2022
Cited By (1)
US 12,476,751